USER EXPERIENCE GUIDELINES FOR DESIGN OF VIRTUAL REALITY GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES controlled by head orientation input Bachelor Degree Project in Cognitive Science Three years Level 30 ECTS Spring term 2016 Sofia Fröjdman Supervisor: Tarja Susi Examiner: Niklas Torstensson Abstract With the recent release of head-mounted displays for consumers, virtual reality experiences are more accessible than ever. However, there is still a shortage of research concerning how to design user interfaces in virtual reality for good experiences. This thesis focuses on what aspects should be considered when designing a graphical user interface in virtual reality - controlled by head orientation input - for a qualitative user experience. The research has included a heuristic evaluation, interviews, usability tests, and a survey. A virtual reality prototype of a video on demand service was investigated and served as the application for the research. Findings from the analysis of the data were application specific pragmatic and hedonic goals of the users, relevant to the subjective user experience, and current user experience problems with the prototype tested. In combination with previous recommendations, the result led to the development of seven guidelines. However, these guidelines are considered only to serve as a foundation for future research since they need to be validated. New head-mounted displays and virtual reality applications are released every day and with the increasing number of users, there will be a continuous need for more research. Keywords: Virtual reality graphical user interface, Head orientation input, Head-mounted display, User experience, Video on demand service Popular scientific abstract As a result of the recent release of head-mounted displays and virtual reality sets, such as Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and Google Cardboard, virtual reality has turned in to a big technology trend. Since the virtual reality experiences just recently have begun to become available for consumers, there is still a lacK of research concerning the users experience of them. How should user interfaces be designed for virtual reality to be easy and fun to use and how should the user interface be controlled in the best possible way? This thesis focuses on the only available control method that is possible to use with all different head-mounted displays and virtual reality sets. The way the user with a head-mounted display turn his or her head in different directions, allow the user to see more of the virtual world, and this could also be used to project a gaze cursor in the centre of the user’s field of view. If the user then stays with the gaze cursor over a certain object in the user interface for a predetermined period of time, a selection can be made. This thesis focuses on answering the question of what aspects should be considered when designing a user interface in virtual reality, controlled in this way, for qualitative user experiences. A prototype application of a video on demand service in virtual reality was used for part of the research and tested by users. Additionally, users were interviewed and asKed in a survey about their goals, Knowledge, preferences, and expectations. The result of the research showed the goals of why users wanted to use a video on demand service in virtual reality with a head-mounted display and what they wanted to be able to do in such an application. It also showed current user experience problems with the application that was tested. Based on these results, together with previous recommendations found in literature, new guidelines were developed. However, these need to be tested and further confirmed before they can be used. With the release of new head-mounted displays and virtual reality applications every day, there will be a growing number of user, and this will lead to an increasing need for research about how to improve the experiences as well. Acknowledgements Writing this thesis has been a challenging but very exciting process. Moreover, it has been a tremendous learning experience, and I am very grateful for all the inspiring and supportive people around me who have helped me along the process. Foremost, I would liKe to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Tarja Susi for all the continuous support and guidance during these months. I would also liKe to thanK NiKlas Torstensson for his feedbacK and encouragement. Moreover, I would like to thanK people at Accedo for welcoming and supporting me as well as sharing their Knowledge. I specifically want to thanK my Accedo supervisor, José Somolinos, who has inspired me and introduced me to the world of virtual reality. My sincere thanKs also go to all the participants in the research who has taken their time to help me. Last but not least, I would liKe to thanK my family and friends for their never-ending encouragement and support. Contents List of abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 2 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Virtual reality and related concepts ........................................................................................... 3 2.2 Virtual reality graphical user interface ...................................................................................... 5 2.3 Head-mounted display ............................................................................................................... 7 2.4 Head orientation input and head gaze ........................................................................................ 9 2.5 User experience ....................................................................................................................... 11 2.6 Video on demand service ......................................................................................................... 12 2.7 Research related design principles for virtual reality graphical user interfaces ...................... 13 2.8 Research aim and objective ..................................................................................................... 16 2.8.1 Expected contributions ..................................................................................................... 17 2.8.2 Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 17 3 Method ........................................................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Research design ....................................................................................................................... 18 3.2 Heuristic evaluation ................................................................................................................. 19 3.3 Interview .................................................................................................................................. 21 3.4 Usability test ............................................................................................................................ 22 3.5 Survey ...................................................................................................................................... 24 4 Procedure ....................................................................................................................................... 25 4.1 Accedo’s virtual reality video on demand prototype ............................................................... 25 4.2 Heuristic evaluation procedure ................................................................................................ 27 4.3 Interview and usability test procedure ..................................................................................... 28 4.4 Survey procedure ..................................................................................................................... 32 5 Result and analysis ....................................................................................................................... 34 5.1 Heuristic evaluation result and analysis .................................................................................. 35 5.2 Interview result and analysis ................................................................................................... 36 5.3 Usability test result and analysis .............................................................................................. 38 5.4 Survey result and analysis ....................................................................................................... 44 5.5 Comprehensive analysis .......................................................................................................... 47 5.5.1 Identifying the users’ goals, needs, behaviours, preferences, and context of use ............ 47 5.5.2 Analysis of the discovered user experience problems ...................................................... 48 6 Suggested guidelines ..................................................................................................................... 51 7 Conclusion and discussion ........................................................................................................... 56 7.1